GPX Viewer

Open a GPX file in Garmin

Garmin Connect can import a GPX two ways: as an Activity (it lands in your history) or as a Course (a route you can send to a device and navigate). To follow a route on your watch or Edge, import it as a Course.

Reviewed on 2026-09-27 using official help where available.

AcceptsGPX, FIT, TCX
Free tierGarmin Connect accounts are free; importing a course is part of Connect.

Steps

  1. Sign in to Garmin Connect on the web. Go to connect.garmin.com and log in.
  2. Open Courses. From the navigation menu, open Training & Planning → Courses.
  3. Import the GPX. Click “Import” (bottom-right of the course list), drag in or browse to your .gpx and click “Get Started”. Choose the course type, click “Continue”, then name the course and save it.
  4. Send it to your device. Select the course, click “Send to Device”, pick your device and sync it. In the Garmin Connect app the same option is under More → Training & Planning → Courses.

Quirks & limits

  • On the device: Edge → Navigation → Courses. On Forerunner, fenix and Instinct watches, first pick the activity (e.g. Run or Hike), then open its settings → Navigation → Courses (some models list them under “Saved”).
  • USB fallback on Edge bike computers: connect the Edge as a drive and copy the .gpx into Garmin → NewFiles, then eject — the Edge imports it on the next start.
  • Devices only show the first 15 characters of a course name, and most hold about 100 courses.
  • On a phone you can also open the .gpx, tap Share and choose Garmin Connect to import it as a course.
  • Importing as an Activity backdates the file into your history; import as a Course to navigate it.

Sources

See the route before you upload it

Not sure the file is the right one? Drop it into the viewer first — you'll see the full track on a map with distance, elevation and speed. Nothing is uploaded.

Open the GPX Viewer
No file handy? Try a sample: Run Ride Sail (knots) All 13 samples →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Garmin Activity and a Course?

An Activity is a recorded history entry; a Course is a planned route you can send to a device and follow with turn prompts. Import your GPX as a Course to navigate it.

How do I get a GPX route onto my Edge or fenix?

Import the GPX as a Course in Garmin Connect, use Send to Device and sync. On an Edge you can also copy the .gpx over USB into the Garmin → NewFiles folder.

Open a GPX file elsewhere

Open a GPX file in Wahoo ELEMNT A Wahoo ELEMNT gets routes through its companion app — the Wahoo app for ACE, BOLT 3 and ROAM 3, or the ELEMNT app for earlier models. Open a GPX file in Suunto You add a GPX route to a Suunto watch through the Suunto app: import the route there, then sync it to the watch to navigate. Open a GPX file in COROS A COROS watch gets routes through the COROS app: open the GPX with the app to save it, sync it to the watch, and start the route from the watch’s Navigation.